Quinoa Porridge w/ Roasted Banana

It’s mid-November and frost has settled already in Berlin. The windshield are covered with a thin layer of ice in the mornings and the walks with the pup are getting shorter and shorter as he is feeling too cold outside. Slowly but surely I’m starting to replace my beloved smoothie bowls with warming winter breakfast bowls like this smooth and rich quinoa porridge.

This is a protein rich and gluten free version of the oatmeal and doesn’t compromise in richness and creaminess. And the banana adds enough sweetness to it. No additional sugar required! I top it off with some walnut chunks and popped quinoa for a bit of crunch on top, and the coconut milk adds that extra bit of creaminess (and also turns this a bit more tropical meaning I am forever dreaming of warmer weather and sunshine on my face).

You could easily play around with this recipe and add some superfoods like matcha or even raw cocoa. How about some extra mulberries and goji to sprinkle on top along with a tahini yoghurt dressing? There is as much variety in this quinoa porridge as there is in making different smoothies. At least something to look forward to in this cold dreary grey season!

Wash and rinse quinoa. Place into a pot with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes with the lid closed. Turn off the head and let sit for another 5 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Cut one banana lengthwise and if desired, sprinkle with a bit of butter and honey. Bake in the oven for about 5-10 minutes until soft with a slight caramel on top.

Add the baked banana to the quinoa porridge and mix well.

Divide into two bowls, and use the following as topping: 1/2 banana each, 1 tbsp chopped walnuts, coconut flakes and popped quinoa each.